Ed Sheeran was bullied in school for being a 'weird kid'

The 'A Team' hitmaker may have two BRIT Awards to his name and a platinum selling debut album, but when he was growing up in Framlingham, Suffolk, in the South East of England, he was taunted by other children because he had ginger hair and stuttered.

In an interview with website Take 40, he said: "I think everyone goes through a bit of bullying at school. Of course you get picked on for certain things, but I think it ends up being a positive. I was quite a weird kid when I was little, I wore big glasses, had hearing problems, had a stutter and I had ginger hair."

The 22-year-old singer feels the cruel jibes helped him "blossom" into the artist he is today and he was even left feeling "sad" for his former playground tormentors during a recent visit to his hometown.

He explained: "I am now a successful musician and I have nothing to complain about. So I have come out the other end and blossomed ... When I went home and went to the pub and saw the people who used to be d***s at school, it's kind of depressing. They not only haven't done anything but they don't know that there is anything out there.

"They are so stuck in their little world. So I feel sad for them - they are kind of being bullied by life."